Quick answer
Sell vintage clothes on a marketplace where shoppers already look for used fashion, such as Depop, Etsy, eBay, Poshmark or TikTok Shop, or on your own store built with a tool like Shopify once buyers come back to you. On a $45 vintage jacket, marketplace fees run from $1.94 on Depop to $9 on Poshmark. Etsy accepts a piece as vintage only if it is 20+ years old.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in the fee comparison. See where Nation fits.
Where to sell vintage clothes today
List vintage clothes on a resale marketplace first, and add your own store later. Resale marketplaces such as Depop, Poshmark and eBay already have shoppers looking for used fashion, and they take a fee on each sale. Etsy takes vintage too, as long as each piece is 20+ years old. A store builder such as Shopify hosts a site under your own name and charges less per sale, but it adds a monthly plan and you bring the shoppers yourself.
A vintage piece is usually one of a kind, so it helps to list it where buyers already search. The table lists the main places, what each one fits and its fee for a US seller.
eBay's 13.6% rate covers most categories, including most clothing, and is charged on the order total, including shipping and sales tax. Depop's buyers also pay a marketplace fee of up to 5% of the item purchase price, plus a fixed amount of up to $/£1, which is not taken from your payout.
Poshmark gives the seller a prepaid label for parcels up to five pounds (5 lbs), and the buyer pays its flat $6.49. A heavier order, such as a wool coat with boots, can cost the seller extra, because Poshmark's rule is: over 5 lbs paid by seller.
How to sell vintage clothing online, step by step
These steps work on any of the platforms above and assume you already have the pieces.
Work out what each piece is
Read the labels, fabric and construction to place each piece in a decade, and note the brand, the size on the tag and the fiber content if a label shows it. If you cannot date a piece with confidence, describe it as used rather than naming a decade. For vintage items, Etsy may ask for additional photo documentation or information such as their source, age, designer, or materials, so keep notes on where each piece came from.
Check condition and clean
Wash or air out each piece as its fabric allows. Then note every flaw: stains, holes, repairs, missing buttons, fading and odors. A flaw shown in the listing is one the buyer saw before paying.
Check children's pieces for safety
For children's clothing, search the recall list at www.cpsc.gov/recalls, remove hood and neck drawstrings where the CPSC rule requires it, and set aside pieces with buttons, snaps, or decorations that could easily detach. The rules section below lists what applies.
Measure flat
Sizes on old labels may not match today's sizing, so give measurements taken with the piece laid flat: chest or bust, waist, hips, length, sleeve and inseam. Use the same method on every listing so repeat buyers can compare.
Photograph the real piece
Shoot the front, the back, the label, the fabric up close and each flaw, plus one photo on a person or a dress form. Use daylight and a plain background. On eBay, you can’t use a catalog or stock photo if you’re listing an item as used, and the same habit protects you on every platform.
Price with the fee included
Look at sold listings for similar pieces, not asking prices. Then subtract the platform fee from the fee section below and the cost of shipping, so you know what the sale leaves you.
List, cross-list and ship
Write a title with the brand, the item, the decade if known, the size and the color. If you list the same piece on two platforms, remove it from the second one as soon as it sells. Ship with tracking.
What it costs to sell one vintage piece: a $45 jacket
Example: one vintage denim jacket sold for $45, paid by card, with free shipping and no sales tax. The amounts use each platform's own published rates for a US seller.
- Shopify $1.61 plus $39 a month Card 2.9% + 30¢ $1.61
- Depop baseline $1.94 no monthly plan Processing 3.3% + $0.45 $1.94
- TikTok Shop $2.25 no monthly plan Referral 5%, pre-owned $2.25
- Etsy $4.73 no monthly plan Listing $0.20, Transaction 6.5% $2.93, Processing 3% + $0.25 $1.60
- eBay $6.52 no monthly plan Final value 13.6% $6.12, Per order $0.40
- Poshmark $9 no monthly plan Commission 20% $9
Assumes a $45 vintage jacket, free shipping, no tax, a standard US card, no ads or boosts and no currency conversion. eBay uses its most-categories rate for a seller with no eBay Store and assumes the listing is within its 250 free listings a month. Poshmark's rate is the one for sales of $15 or more. TikTok Shop uses its rate for pre-owned womenswear and menswear.
The rules for selling vintage clothes in the US
Selling used clothing brings federal rules on labels, safety and tax, plus each platform's own rules. This section is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules vary by state and city, so check with your state and city as well.
Sales tax depends on your state. In California, for example, a person who sells merchandise there and makes three or more sales in a 12-month period generally needs a seller's permit. As a marketplace seller, you are not required to be registered with CDTFA for a seller's permit if all of your retail sales of merchandise will be facilitated by a marketplace facilitator that is registered as a retailer with CDTFA. Once you also sell from your own store, that exception no longer fits.
Example store: a one-person vintage denim shop
Example: this store is made up to show how the pieces on this page fit together. It is not a real business, and the example assumes no sales figures.
- What it sells: denim jackets and jeans for adults, each piece 20+ years old, bought at estate sales and thrift stores and priced around $45 with free shipping.
- Where it sells: Depop as the main shop, with the same pieces cross-listed on Etsy and eBay. When a piece sells on one platform, it comes off the others the same day.
- Listings: photos of the actual piece, flat measurements in inches, fiber content only where a label shows it, and a decade only when the label or construction supports it.
- Safety: adult sizes only, so the children's lead, drawstring and choking rules on this page do not apply. Before listing, it still searches www.cpsc.gov/recalls.
- Money: it records what each piece cost and what each sale paid. Under IRS rules, even if you don't get a Form 1099-K, you must report income from payments for goods, services or property.
- Own store later: once buyers come back, a Shopify store would cost $1.61 in card fees on each $45 sale, plus $39 a month. It would still have to bring buyers to the site itself.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. Whichever store you use, checking each piece's age, condition and safety, and the tax duties on this page, stay with the seller.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. Nation is not in the fee comparison until signup is public and pricing is published.
Describe what you makeQuestions about selling vintage clothes
Where can I sell vintage clothes online?
You can sell vintage clothes online on resale marketplaces such as Depop, Poshmark and eBay, on Etsy if each piece is 20+ years old, on TikTok Shop if you post videos, or on your own Shopify store. Marketplaces bring buyers and take a fee on each sale. Your own store charges less per sale, but you have to find the buyers.
How do you sell vintage clothing online?
To sell vintage clothing online, date and check each piece, note every flaw, measure it laid flat and photograph the real item from the front, back and label. Then price it with the platform fee and shipping included, list it on a resale marketplace such as Depop or eBay, and ship it with tracking once it sells.
How old does clothing have to be to count as vintage?
On Etsy, clothing has to be 20+ years old to be listed as vintage. Etsy says resold commercially available items that are newer than 20 years old, even if the item is designed to appear vintage, do not qualify. On other platforms, name a decade only when the label or construction supports it, and describe the piece as used when you are not sure.
Which site takes the lowest fee on vintage clothes?
On a $45 vintage jacket with free shipping, Depop's fees are $1.94, TikTok Shop's are $2.25, Etsy's are $4.73, eBay's are $6.52 and Poshmark's are $9. A Shopify store charges $1.61 in card fees, plus $39 a month, and you bring the shoppers yourself.
Do you pay tax when you sell vintage clothes?
Tax on vintage clothes you sell depends on what you sold. For pieces you bought to resell, even if you don't get a Form 1099-K, you must report income from payments for goods, services or property. For clothes you owned yourself, if you made a profit or gain on the sale of a personal item, your profit is taxable. This is general information, not tax advice.
Can you sell vintage children's clothes?
You can sell vintage children's clothes, but the CPSC rules for children's products apply to resellers. Children's items must stay within 100 ppm (0.01 percent) of total lead content in any accessible component part. On upper outerwear, hood and neck drawstrings must be completely removed in sizes 2T to 12. Search www.cpsc.gov/recalls first, because it is illegal to sell any recalled product.